The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in South Africa and the Water Research Commission (WRC) have partnered to fast-track the development, and promote the adoption, of promising innovations in the water sector.
A newly-inked memorandum of understanding between the parties will guide a collaboration to facilitate research and innovation sharing, co-creation and the promotion of access to water and sanitation
To mark the start of the partnership, the duo have issued an open call for applications from local innovators that are developing technologies and solutions addressing South Africa’s water challenges; particularly those which have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The deadline is August 25.
“The objective of this call is to accelerate the rate at which we address South Africa’s pressing water need and achieve progress on Sustainable Development Goal 6. This call is specifically for innovative solutions and not conventional and established technologies,” the parties said in a joint statement.
Successful innovations will be grouped to create a portfolio of solutions, which, when positioned at various intervention points within the system, can together address key water challenges.
The programme will assist in evaluating the market need and problem that a submitted innovation solves and assess it against competing products or solutions and ways in which communities and businesses may already be addressing the gap.
The prototype, proof of concept or technology demonstrator will also be validated through laboratory testing, field testing and user testing, besides others, to ensure the innovation claims “hold true” and can positively address targeted needs.
Further, the innovator will be assisted to access partners able to support the growth and scaling of the innovation.
The submitted innovations must be at the proof of concept, prototype or technology demonstrator stage and at precommercialisation within the product development lifecycle, and address water challenges that have been exacerbated or introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic and South Africa’s key water challenges and intervention strategy as outlined in the National Water Research, Development and Innovation Roadmap.
Innovations must have been developed and produced in South Africa, and applicants should demonstrate the underlying scientific principles behind the technology and provide the rationale supporting design features.
“UNDP is interested in enhancing development activities and promoting the availability and accessibility of water in South Africa by supporting the development and implementation of locally developed water innovations,” said UNDP South Africa resident representative Ayodele Olusola.
“We are excited to partner with an entity that shares our vision of increasing the capacity to upscale innovations that address water challenges in South Africa and to catalyse knowledge sharing and collaboration across the African continent,” concluded WRC business development and innovations executive manager Dr Valerie Naidoo.